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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, A pr il 4, 20 19 | 14 not broken," said Meed Ward. "But even more impor- tantly than that, let Hal- ton be your gold standard model for what regional government looks like. I think we've set a new standard of excellence in governance." The motion also re- ceived support from We Love Oakville, a grass- roots group of 11 resi- dents' associations in Oakville who have come together to support the current system in Halton. Ted Haugen, who spoke on behalf of the group, told council they started a campaign a month ago to oppose amalgamation and have already raised $11,000 to support the cause - funds that will be used for signs, information cards and a potential mailing cam- paign. "Our local government structure works well for us," he said. "We strongly support the resolution for many reasons." He explained the group feels amalgamation would be costly and result in lost decision-making power, quality of life and efficiency in services. The sentiment was echoed by others around the regional council ta- ble, like Milton Mayor Gord Krantz, who was a local politician when Hal- ton Region was first formed in 1974. "Even the Region of Halton went through hell for quite a period of time," he said, recalling the seri- ous financial problems that plagued the region in the early days following that amalgamation 45 years ago. "But in my opinion, it (Halton Re- gion) has been working quite well, really well for the past 20 to 25 years." Krantz issued a word of caution to the province to be careful what it asks for as "bigger government is not necessarily better government." "Please leave us alone because things are work- ing well for the Region of Halton," he said. Halton Hills Mayor Rick Bonnette pointed to the budget woes the City of Toronto faced after amalgamation - a move that also hit Halton resi- dents as millions in "downloading" costs were levied locally to help the city pay for its services during the financially trying times. "Amalgamation is not going to save money," he asserted. "The bigger you are, the more you cost." Oakville Mayor Rob Burton shared details of an email the province sent the local mayors be- fore they were inter- viewed recently as part of the regional review. "It (the email) said at the top - the fundamental question is amalgamat- ing," he said. "Let no one be lulled into a sense of passivity. In writing they said it, and in our experi- ence, governments usual- ly mean what they say." The province's review will examine Ontario's eight regional municipal- ities (Halton, York, Dur- ham, Waterloo, Niagara, Peel, Muskoka District and Oxford County), the County of Simcoe, and their lower-tier munici- palities. The motion passed by regional council will now be forwarded to Premier Doug Ford and all mem- bers of provincial parlia- ment, along with the As- sociation of Municipali- ties of Ontario and Hal- ton's four local municipalities, the latter of which have all en- dorsed similar resolu- tions in recent weeks. "We are going to send a clear, united message from all of our municipal- ities that Halton Region is running properly," said regional chair Gary Carr. "Leave us alone - we're doing a good job. And with all due respect, if other municipalities want to look at us, they can actually learn from us." COUNCIL Continued from page 1 KRANTZ: 'BIGGER GOVERNMENT IS NOT NECESSARILY BETTER GOVERNMENT.' THE ISSUE: REGION OPPOSES HALTON AMALGAMATION LOCAL IMPACT: POSSIBLE CHANGES CALLED 'DISRUPTIVE' AND 'WASTEFUL' STORY BEHIND THE STORY The province's review will examine Ontario's eight regional municipalities Local journalism makes a difference. Support us by registering at theifp.ca Notice of Project HIGHWAY 7 Ministry of Transportation Contract No. 2018-2021 The Ministry of Transportation has awarded the contract 2018-2021 to Capital Paving Inc. for the rehabilitation of HWY 7 From TANNERS DRIVE N. EASTERLY TO 0.75 Km EAST OF 6th LINE in Town of Halton Hills. Activities will commence in Spring, 2019 with an estimated completion in Fall, 2019. Temporary lane closures/delays are expected during the construction period. For Road Information, phone the Ministry of Transportation toll free, 24 hours a day, at 1-800-268-4686 or visit the Ontario 511 website. All construction related questions should be addressed to: Mr. Siavash A. Ghodousi Contract Administrator Noveen Engineering Inc. Tel. (416) 627-2969 Email: aghodousi@noveeneng.ca Mr. Matt Martin Project Supervisor Capital Paving Inc. Tel. 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